As we closed our look at “The Strength of Humility,” earning “Influence Over Authority,” and the importance of “Knowing Our Worth,” I stressed the idea of creating a legacy that lives well beyond what we do individually. More than any other thing I’ve experienced, that’s how we can best leverage lea...
It’s one thing to be humble enough to seek help in the areas we struggle with but are still required to produce great results - or at least stay in compliance - but practicing that same approach in areas isn’t always as simple. We can’t overcome a knowledge gap we don’t know we have. We’ve all seen ...
I’ve mentioned barely graduating high school several times to this point. I also shared that neither Cindy or I had graduated college when we started our leadership journey (and still haven’t). While my less than stellar performance in high school was more a factor of me being bored, our lack of col...
Equipped with only a high school diploma, and having slept through far too many of my classes leading up to receiving that, I had no shortage of gaps to acknowledge - even if my ego was standing in the way early on (and maybe a little still today). Identifying the key experts I could learn from as I...
As I transitioned from being a mediocre carpenter and operating a stamping pressing in a manufacturing facility to my first role with responsibility for getting results through people who have no reason to listen to me, I had no other option than to acknowledge my limits and begin identifying the ke...
With that stark difference fresh in your mind, the difference in how a handful of managers in a completely foreign industry refused input from anyone and how I’ve seen Mark Cole actively solicit thoughts from someone as removed from his company’s bottom line as me, let’s consider the significant rol...
By the time I had accepted the full time role facilitating the behavior-based safety process locally, I had become one of the most effective in the facility at conducting the observations involved and providing the necessary feedback to my peers. I had also developed a reasonable level of competence...
I reported to Kevin for longer than any other supervisor I’ve ever had (not counting Cindy). Praise God he was so patient! I was just shy of 25 years old when I accepted the role working directly with (as I mentioned before, he was very intentional about never making me feel like I worked for him). ...
One of the most fulfilling things I’ve had the privilege of experiencing in professional career (and personal life, too) has come as a direct benefit of the power of paying forward the many lessons mentors have provided for me, specifically in seeing measurable growth with those that have latched on...
So far, we’ve looked at why relationships are the key to unlocking our potential (there’s no such thing as a self-made leader), how harnessing the power of candid conversations builds strong foundations for those relationships, and steps we can take to maximize the return on investment from each rel...
When we’re intentional about building each of those steps into sustaining the relationships we build with our mentors, the long-term return will compound - in our lives, in the organizations we’re part of, and in ways we likely won’t see for years to come. Terry, Rod, and Kevin have all actively men...
Every important relationship requires a strategic investment and when that investment is made in building authentic mentorship, whether we’re receiving it or giving it, the return will be exponential, especially when we’ve developed a high level of emotional intelligence. For more than three decades...
